Thoughts, HEXUS.awards & HEXUS.right2reply
What OCZ has brought to the table with its DDR2 PC2-8000 Platinum XTC Extreme Edition memory is extremely high speeds coupled with reasonable timings. What's just as impressive is that a 2GByte pack is available right now from a number of e-tailers. However, very carefully consider whether your system can benefit from the pack's 1GHz speed. Our benchmarks have shown that PC8000 memory does offer a modicum of extra performance over, say, PC5300 memory when run with a CPU that's fed by a 1GHz FSB, but the intrinsic problem lies with just how little bandwidth an LGA775 processor can take advantage of without overclocking it to extreme levels.Considering that a dual-channel PC5300 pack is capable of delivering enough bandwidth to an LGA775 CPU running at 1333MHz FSB, which is way beyond the current 1066MHz specification, you'll see why the masses of extra bandwidth on offer from PC8000 memory goes largely to waste. That's not OCZ's fault, obviously, and its DDR2 PC2-8000 Platinum XTC Extreme Edition memory worked flawlessly when set to its SPD timings and 1000MHz clockspeed.
The asking price of around £380 is enough to buy a decent PC. What that shows is that it's not aimed at mom or pop who wants an upgrade for their Dell 5150. A generic PC4300 pack will accomplish that. Rather, it's aimed at enthusiasts who want to clock the absolute living daylights out of their systems and still have lots bandwidth on tap. We've said this before but it bears reiterating: OCZ's PC2-8000 Platinum XTC Extreme Edition is a very niche product for a niche market that make up a small proportion of users. If your system can effectively utilise 1GHz-rated DDR2, and it's a big if, OCZ's 2GByte pack should be at the top of your shortlist. Summing it up in a word is easy enough. That word is extreme.
